Debate language

In 2007, cyclone Sidr battered the western coast of Bangladesh, killing more than 3,000 people – the majority of them women. It was no coincidence, according to Sharmind Neelormi, who's researched climate change vulnerability and impacts in her country. Not only were women in remote areas, often shut out from public life, the last to hear of the storm warning. Neelormi says many also shunned existing cyclone shelters many of which typically had just one flooded toilet on the ground floor. While the sight of men relieving themselves in the open is not unusual in Bangladesh, cultural mores make it impossible for women to do the same. "It was a basic engineering fault which could have saved the lives of thousands of women," Neelormi said. Women disproportionately affected The 41-year-old has since lobbied the government to redesign cyclone shelters. But the example underlines what some campaigners call the lack of a "female factor" in the climate change debate. Climate … [Read more...] about Climate change debate must include women’s voices, campaigners say

The case has sparked outrage and led politicians and community leaders demanding clearer and more effective integration rules for those who flout German laws and continue practices such as forced marriage and honor killings in Germany. Hatan was shot several times in the head at point-blank range by her youngest brother, who said at the start of his trial that he committed the crime because his sister had brought shame upon his family by adopting a western lifestyle. Hatan had returned to Germany pregnant after fleeing from a forced marriage in Turkey. Last week, Ayhan was sentenced to nine years and three months for the murder of his sister, close to the 10-year maximum allowable. Though his two older brothers were implicated in assisting Ayhan in killing Hatan, their involvement could not be proved. Both were acquitted. The murder caused revulsion in Germany and has contributed to a surge of strong emotions in the simmering debate over how to deal with a conservative Muslim immigrant … [Read more...] about Integration Debate Rages in Wake of Honor Killing Conviction

Friday’s discussions could decide the fate of sweeping immigration law reforms proposed by the government. The plans, which failed to garner opposition support earlier this year, are intended to regulate immigration. They propose measures to integrate foreigners into German society, including compulsory language and citizenship courses. The government coalition of Social Democrats and Greens views immigration as a crucial tool to counter Germany’s aging and declining population, which is expected to pose serious problems for the country’s social welfare systems and labor market in the coming decades. While generally supportive of a new immigration law, leaders of the conservative opposition Christian Democrat Union reject large portions of the proposal. They say Germany’s labor market cannot handle more immigrants at the same time the country is struggling to deal with high unemployment rates. Although heated debates surround the current proposals, most … [Read more...] about Germans Consider U.S. Experience in Immigration Debate

Budgetary debates in the German parliament - or Bundestag - tend to be strikingly sober affairs; figures play a major role, emotions take a back seat. This time things are rather different. Even at the first sitting following parliament's summer break, Speaker Norbert Lammert wasted no time in skipping the standard pleasantries. "We are seeing despairing people in their flight to and across Europe, and we're seeing shocking, almost unbearable pictures of those who have paid for this with their lives, many of them children," Lammert said, introducing a topic that has seemed rather more pressing in recent weeks than how much the German government plans to spend on what next year. And yet the two issues clearly have a close relationship to each other. Both will occupy Germany's political class for months or years to come. "Mixed in with our sympathy and sadness are justified concerns about how we will deal locally with the continuing influx, and how we will maintain control of our … [Read more...] about German budget debate in shadow of refugee influx

On Saturday, Latvians head to the polls to vote on a proposition that divides the country: whether Russian should be made Latvia's second official language. It pits a Latvian majority proud of their mother tongue and wary of Russian cultural encroachment against a long-standing Russian minority who feel they've been made second class citizens - or in some cases, not citizens at all - in large part down to their language. Latvia's Russian minority makes up a little more than a quarter of the country's population of 2 million. Some Russian families have lived there for centuries, while more arrived in the Baltic state when it was a Soviet republic, put down roots there, and then stayed on after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Last year, a pro-Russian NGO called "Mother Tongue" launched a petition drive and managed to collect more than 187,000 signatures by the end of November - enough to put the matter of recognizing Russian as an official language up to a referendum. Critics say … [Read more...] about Latvia’s language referendum raises question of national identity

August is the anything-goes season for German journalism. Topics that serious reporters would not normally give a shrug about are suddenly given top billing, and nothing is sacred - not even something as personal as bathroom habits. "Do Muslims Need Their Own Toilet?" Cologne's Express newspaper rhetorically asked on its front page earlier this week. The article detailed plans by a local community center to incorporate a toilet of the type used in dozens of multireligious nations the world over - but not typically in Germany - into a forthcoming remodel. "A culturally sensitive toilet will soon be built in the Alte Feuerwache community center," the newspaper's Robert Baumanns reported for the front page of the August 9 edition. "A sort of squat toilet for Muslims, supported by the state." "We've never made the front page," said Josefine Utikal, an administrator at the Alte Feuerwache, a multipurpose space built into a converted fire station that offers cultural events, language courses … [Read more...] about Cologne community space’s coming commode sparks debate

Carnival celebrations in Germany are not without their controversies - whether they are the political messages of parade floats or revelers' use of blackface and stereotypical Native American costumes. This year, a charity ball in the Bavarian village of Raindorf that donates its proceeds to development projects in African countries inadvertently caused outrage online. The problem - the annual event is called the "Negerball," a term that translates to "negro ball" or "nigger ball". Although the term in German has a slightly less negative connotation than the English word, it is offensive to many people. This year's ball may have finished on Saturday, but the controversy over the party's name continues to rage on social media. When it was first started 36 years ago, the Carnival party was called "young people dance for Africa," explained event organizers, the parish group "KiRiKi," in a post on Facebook following the event. With time, the party's attendees gave the event a new name and … [Read more...] about Carnival party in Bavaria sparks racism debate in Germany

Poland's Jewish community was almost entirely decimated during the Holocaust. The Nazis murdered 90 percent of the three million Jews there. Later, the communist regime fostered a climate of anti-Semitism in the country, forcing many more Jews to leave. A kind of phantom pain was all that remained, the sort experienced by people who've lost a limb. The loss is, to this day, almost unbearable. Fierce debates between Jewish and Catholic Poles continue to shake the country on a regular basis. The question is always the same: Did the majority of Christian Poles approve of, or even assist, the mass murder of Jews? The country's self-image as the most significant victim of the Nazi terror and the Second World War is at stake. Sparking debate It's a debate that has been reignited in recent weeks with the release of the film "Poklosie" ("Aftermath") by director Wladyslaw Pasikowski. The thriller tells the story of a Catholic farmer, Jozef Kalina (Maciej Stuhr), who discovers the traces … [Read more...] about Film reignites debate on Polish anti-Semitism

The chair of the German affliate of Malteser International, Karl Prinz zu Löwenstein, could see the question coming: Why another migration study? Indeed, the German government has already released 11 reports on the topic. Speaking to reporters in Berlin on Wednesday, Prinz zu Löwenstein preempted the question with an answer: Because his organization's study - its first on this issue - was "unique." He was not looking to compete with others, he said. The 112-page report by Malteser, the non-governmental relief organization of the Roman Catholic Order of Malta, is borne out of independent scientific analysis of migration issues and is "the result of Malteser's long-term experience supporting refugees," Prinz zu Löwenstein said. He explained the aim was to have a less emotionally charged discussion about migration, though he conceded: "Who is not moved by the fate of those in need?" Malteser intentionally published the report, titled "Facts over sentiment," after Sunday's … [Read more...] about German NGO report urges facts over feelings in refugee debate

++ Live Ticker ++ Ten minutes to go Our live debate is about to start. Conflict Zone’s Tim Sebastian is preparing to quiz politicians from six parties - in English - on foreign policy ahead of the German elections. An audience of around two hundred is in the studio, made up of party supporters, politics students and journalists. This is the only English language live TV debate of the German election campaign and we're hoping for a cracking confrontation. I'm Simon Young, DW Political Correspondent and Conflict Zone producer, and I'll be trying to keep up with the quickfire exchanges, and provide a bit of context as we go. So who are our six panelists? Ralf STEGNER is a left-wing member of the Social Democrats (SPD). He leads the SPD in Schleswig Holstein, where was previously finance minister and interior minister. In 2014 he became one of six deputy chairs of the national SPD. He has a Master of Public Administration from Harvard. He has never run for the Bundestag, but is a … [Read more...] about Six parties fight over foreign policy in DW’s Conflict Zone Election Debate